Bristol-Myers Is Sued by 29 States
Over Its Efforts to Protect Taxol

By

Gardiner Harris Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

Updated June 5, 2002 12:01 a.m. ET

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. is being sued by attorneys general from 29 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, who allege that the drug maker illegally delayed for years generic competition to its huge-selling cancer drug, Taxol -- costing states and patients billions of dollars.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, claims that Bristol-Myers made "knowing, willful and fraudulent material misrepresentations" to the U.S. patent office to get patents on Taxol and...